Education

Baylor College of Medicine

Web: www.bcm.edu
Phone: (713) 798-4951

As one of the top medical schools in the country, Baylor College of Medicine is located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, the largest medical center in the world.

The school is affiliated with 8 teaching hospitals. Of note, the private medical school also has one of the lowest tuitions of all private medical schools in the U.S.

In 2011, Baylor College of Medicine was ranked in the top 25 medical schools for research by U.S. News & World Report.

Founded in 1900, Baylor College of Medicine trains medical, graduate, nurse and anesthesia students.

Accolades and highlights include:

• Ranked 17th among U.S. medical schools for research and for primary care in 2010 U.S. News & World Report
• Ranked 13th among U.S. medical schools for research funding from the National Institutes of Health
• Ranked 1st in Texas in federal funding for research and development
• Ranked 2nd in the nation in federal funding for research and development in biological sciences

Houston Community College System

Web: www.hccs.edu
Phone: (713) 718-2000

Houston Community College is located in central Houston, and now includes campuses throughout the city as well as Missouri City and Stafford, TX.

The college came from humble beginnings, operating under the local Houston school district and using the school campuses to hold evening and weekend classes.

Today the college is easily accessible through its different locations throughout Houston, enabling students from a wide variety of backgrounds to attend the college. Houston Community College has built a solid reputation as a 2-year institution to prepare students for either higher academic learning at a traditional 4-year institution, or it enables students to compete for jobs immediately after completing certification and course work development.

Lone Star College System

Web: www.lonestar.edu
Phone: (832) 813-6500

Lone Star College is a two-year institution located in Houston. The college is a strong force in training local workers and preparing its students to continue their education at four-year universities. It enrolls 62,000 students per year and is the third-largest community college in Texas.

The college began in 1973, and it wasn't long before Lone Star College embarked on expansion efforts to meet the demand for training and education among local residents.

The college's logo is known as the "Star of Tomorrow."

New expansion plans include an additional 1.2 million square feet of educational space in eight major buildings. The new facility will be located at the core of the Hewlett Packard campus in the northwest area of Houston.

San Jacinto College

Web: www.sanjac.edu
Phone: (281) 998-6150

San Jacinto College is a two-year community college located in Houston, serving eight different community districts.

San Jacinto College was established in 1961. Its first major changes and updates were the result of $91 million in capital improvements. The college added six new buildings to its campus, including the Interactive Learning Centers and Fine Arts Centers.

Recently, the College was awarded $295 million to update its science and allied health facilities, and library and physical education facility improvements.

San Jacinto College shows no signs of slowing down.

For its latest achievement, San Jacinto College established the Clear Horizons Early College High School, an innovative partnership with a local school that allows students to earn an associates degree while earning their high school diploma.

Texas Southern University

Web: www.tsu.edu
Phone: (713) 313-7011

Texas Southern University is a historically black university in Houston, and is one of the largest of its kind in the nation.

The university has ten schools and colleges, including the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

The other colleges are: the College of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences, the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, the College of Education, the College of Continuing Education, the College of Science and Technology, the Jesse H. Jones School of Business (AACSB accredited), the Graduate School, and the Tavis Smiley School of Communication.

Thurgood Marshall School of Law

Web: www.tsulaw.edu
Phone: (713) 313-4455

The Thurgood Marshall School of Law is part of Texas Southern University in Houston.

The diverse law school was founded in 1946. The history of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law can be traced back to a 1946 lawsuit, brought about by a black student who was denied entrance to the University of Texas School of Law because of his race. As a pre-emptive move, the Texas legislature swiftly established a university of higher education, which is now Texas Southern University. At the time, Justice Marshal was chief counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and successfully argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Texas Southern University now houses the Thurgood Marshall School of Law.

The law school has been ranked No. 1 in diversifying its student body.

Thurgood Marshall School of Law has been consistently ranked No. 1 in achieving diversification in its student body.

Each year the Law School ranks in the top five in the nation in the number of African American law graduates. It also ranks in the top twenty-five in the number of Mexican American graduates.

University of Houston College of Pharmacy

Web: www.pharmacy.uh.edu
Phone: (713) 743-2255

The University of Houston College of Pharmacy is a professional college program offered at the University of Houston. In addition to a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, the school also offers a Doctor of Philosphy and a joint Pharmacy/Philosphy degree. The college's teaching and research facilities are located at both the University of Houston home campus and the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center of its kind in the world.

This diversity of teaching and research attracts students to the two core values of the University of Houston College and Pharmacy: Small classes and the chance to participate in research at a world-class medical center.

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Web: www.uhcl.edu
Phone: (281) 283-7600

The University of Houston-Clear Lake is an upper-level university that offers nearly 90 degree programs on a 524-acre campus. The school enrolls more than 7,600 students per year.

As an upper-level university, the school does not offer lower-level courses. Most students attend area community colleges first, and then take their higher-level courses here.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake contains four schools: the School of Business, School of Human Sciences and Humanities, School of Science and Computer Engineering and the School of Education.

The school emphasizes research and community service in addition to academics. The University of Houston-Clear Lake is also noted for its distance learning program.

University of St. Thomas

Web: www.stthom.edu
Phone: (713) 522-7911

The University of St. Thomas was founded in 1947 and is Houston's first and only Catholic university. The school is ranked in the top tier of mid-size universities by U.S. News & World Report.

St. Thomas offers 30 undergraduate majors, eight master's degrees and a doctorate in philosophy. In fact, the University's Center for Thomistic Students is among the most recognized in the world.

The picturesque, 19-block campus in Houston has been recently expanded and renovated to include a new athletic field, a Campus Life Mall with a labyrinth and prayer garden.

Houston Baptist University

Web: www.hbu.edu
Phone: (281) 649-3000

Houston Baptist University was founded in 1960 and has grown into a full-time, four-year college that enrolls more than 900 students per year.

Undergraduate and pre-professional programs are offered. Areas of study range from religious to pre-professional to traditional areas of study. Classes are small, with less than 20 students on average.

The University also offers graduate degrees in business, Christian counseling, psychology, the liberal arts, and education.

Institute of Biosciences and Technology

Web: www.ibt.tamhsc.edu
Phone: (713) 677-7700

The Institute of Biosciences and Technology represents scientists and other researchers working at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. The institute promotes collaboration between researchers and scientists in all fields related to bioscience and biotechnology.

As a result, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology has created specific departments to coordinate the research and foster collaboration so that the latest findings can be brought to the marketplace and used for alternative therapies quickly.

Areas of focus for research and discovery include Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Environmental and Genetic Medicine, Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases and Molecular Development and Disease.

In addition to the institute, the Texas A&M Health Science Center promotes and facilitates the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine, the School of Rural Public Health and Baylor College of Dentistry. The institute has also created a partnership with the Department of Medicine of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Rice University

Web: www.rice.edu
Phone: (713) 348-0000

Rice University in Houston is a private college known as "The Harvard of the South."

Established in 1912, Rice University has paved the way for a new breed of University in the south and shatters the belief that an Ivy League education can only be found on the East Coast. The school is ranked 17th among colleges in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report for top colleges in 2010, and has been listed as one of 30 'Hidden Ivies' by the magazine.

The highly selective University admits, on average, 1 out of every 12 applicants for freshman enrollment.

Rice has cultivated a reputation for its applied science programs in nanotechnology, artificial heart research, structural chemical analysis and space science. In all, Rice University offers 40 undergraduate degree programs, 51 masters programs and 29 doctoral programs. Its large, open campus boasts open space and mature oaks that line its walkways. The campus is located near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center.

South Texas College of Law

Web: www.stcl.edu
Phone: (713) 659-8040

South Texas College of Law was founded in 1923 and is the oldest law school in Houston, and the third-oldest in Texas.

The highly-regarded school has won its share of accolades. Its South Texas trial advocacy program is regularly regarded as one of the top 10 in the U.S. by US News & World Report, and was ranked No. 1 in 2005. In 2006, it won the Association of Trial Lawyers of America national mock trail competition. And in 2007, it won the National White Collar Crime Invitational Mock Trial Competition.

In addition to its stellar faculty and top-notch programs, South Texas College of Law offers a unique fast-track program with Texas A&M University. The "3 and 3" program enables students to obtain a Bachelor's degree and a Juris Doctor degree in six years.

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Web: www.mdanderson.org
Phone: (877) MDA-6789

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of three comprehensive cancer centers established by the National Cancer Act of 1971.

The MD Anderson Cancer Center is both a learning institution that grants degrees and a cancer treatment and research center in the Texas Medical Center in Houston.

U.S. News & World Report has ranked MD Anderson No. 1 in cancer care among "America's Best Hospitals."

The cancer center is named after a banker and cotton trader who created the largest cotton company in the world. The MD Anderson Foundation agreed to match initial building funds for the cancer hospital and research center if it were located in the Texas Medical Center and named after Anderson.

Initially the hospital operated for 10 years from a converted World War II Army barracks before moving to its current location in 1954.

University of Houston

Web: www.uh.edu
Phone: (713) 743-2255

The University of Houston was founded in 1927 and boasts the third-largest enrollment among Texas universities, with an average of 37,000 students.

The University of Houston's 12 colleges are located on a 667-acre campus and offer more than 320 degree programs. As an ethnically diverse institution, the University of Houston is known as the second-most diverse national university by U.S. News & World Report. There are also three professional doctorate degrees available: Law, Optometry and Pharmacy.

As part of its unique offerings, the University of Houston's 'Evening MBA' program was ranked as the 27th best part-time MBA program in the country by Businessweek in 2007.

The college's Entrepreneurship program is also widely regarded. It has been ranked No. 1 by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine.

The university is an extremely active research institution, and it operates more than 40 research centers on campus. Some of the notable advancements at the university have been in the fields of superconductivity, space commercialization, biomedical engineering, economics, education, petroleum exploration and virtual technology.

University of Houston Law Center

Web: www.law.uh.edu
Phone: (713) 743-2100

The University of Houston Law Center was founded in 1947 and is now a Tier 1 law school in comparative rankings by U.S. News & World Report. Also, the University of Houston Law Center is only one of eight public law schools with multiple Top 10 specialty programs. The school is notably located in the nation's fifth-largest legal market.

The school is considered global in its reach, including its strong connections to the international legal community. Hosting visiting professors and publishing papers in foreign journals are just a few examples of how the school cultivates an international appeal.

The Law Center has created specialty programs within the study of law, and is one of only 8 public law schools in the nation to do so. The specialty programs are:

• Blakely Advocacy Institute
• Center for Children, Law & Policy
• Center for Consumer Law
• Criminal Justice Institute
• Center for Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Law
• Health Law & Policy Institute
• Institute for Higher Education Law & Governance
• Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law

University of Houston-Downtown

Web: www.uhd.edu
Phone: (713) 221-8000

The University of Houston-Downtown was founded in 1974 and is the second-largest university in the Houston area, with an enrollment of about 12,500 students.

The University of Houston-Downtown includes four colleges and nearly 50 degree programs.

The diverse student population reflects the university's commitment to inclusiveness and service.

Primarily a liberal arts institution, The University of Houston-Downtown has steadily grown in its mission and service.

Its four colleges are: the College of Business, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences,the College of Public Service and the College of Sciences and Technology.

The college seeks to offer educational opportunities that serve a variety of needs and accommodate a variety of schedules. The college strives to accommodate the needs of first generation college students, students who work full or part time, students who may have family obligations and students who transfer from community colleges and other higher education institutions.

As part of its diversification, the college continues to seek ways to offer dual credit and dual enrollment options through area community college partners; a variety of distance education options through classes online; and a "hybrid" class configuration, blending online with classroom instruction.